1952 Map of La Joya NW

About this map

Sevilleta Grant land occupies much of this high desert landscape as it appeared in the early 1950s. The map illustrates the convergence of ancient and modern transportation routes in the southeast corner, where the historic El Camino Real shares a corridor with the Pan American Central Highway. This area is characterized by significant topographic relief, most notably the eastern slopes of the Sierra Ladrones rising in the southwest. The New Mexico Principal Meridian serves as a critical surveying boundary, separating the grant lands from the Belen Grant to the east. Water resources are sparse, marked only by intermittent features like Mariano Draw, Cañada Colorado, and the Rio Puerco, along with scattered windmills and storage tanks that indicate the vital infrastructure required for ranching in this arid New Mexico terrain.